Improvement in the manufacture of chloride of zinc



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

WILLIAM H. WAHL AND EDWARD Y. ELTONHEAD, OF PHILADELPHIA,

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD OF THEIR RIGHT TO CALEB H. HORNE,OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT. IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CHLORIDE OF ZINC.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 220,449., dated October7, 1879; application filed February 6, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. WAHL and EDWARD Y. ELTONHEAD, both ofPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvementin the Manufacture of Chloride of Zinc, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention consists of a new and cheap chloride of zinc, which can beused in many cases as an economical substitute for the more expensivechloride.

In galvanizingiron objects a zinc-iron alloy is formed, and this settlesat the bottom of the vessel. This precipitate, which has been termeddross, and should not be confounded with the impurities which rise tothe surface, represents a loss on the average of nearly thirty-three percent. of the zinc used.

It-has been usual heretofore to remove this dross from thegalvanizing-vessel at intervals and cast itinto pigs, which are sold tothe refiners, who reconvert as much of it as possible into pure zinc bythe expensive process of distillation.

We have found that this so-called precipitated dross can be convertedinto a cheap chloride, available for many purposes, but especiallyuseful ingalvanizing operations, for the purpose of cleansing iron, in amanner described in a separate application for a patent,

preparatory to subjecting the iron to the bath of molten zinc.

In order to convert the dross into a chloride, proceed as follows:Wh'e'n it is removed from the bath-of molten zinc, which is usuallyaccomplished by perforated ladles, it is of a slushy consistency, butwhen it becomes cool is quite as hard as, or harder than, ordinary zinc.

Instead of casting it into pigs, we let it fall while in its moltencondition onto metal plates or stone slabs, or into water, so as toreduce it to that flaky or granular condition which will induce it toyield promptly to the action of the muriatic acid. As much of the lattermust be used as will convert it into the chloride, the color of whichdistinguishes it from the ordinary commercial chloride of zinc. Whilethe product thus obtained may not be as pure .as ordinary chloride ofzinc, it is available-for many of the purposes to which ordinarychloride has been applied.

The importance of the invention appears most prominently when we takeinto account the fact that the zinc dross, most of which has heretoforeonly been utilized by expensive processes of refining, is converted intoa chloride which can be sold much cheaper than commercial chloride ofzinc, of which it must take the place in many branches of industry, foruse as a cheap disinfectant, and for other purposes.

We claim as our invention- As a new article of manufacture and commerce,the within-described crude commercial chloride of zinc.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in.the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM H. VVAHL. EDWARD Y. ELTONHEAD. Witnesses:

WILLIAM J. COOPER, HARRY SMITH.

